Perception and Visual Perception Flashcards
Top Down Processing
Perceptions being influenced by our expectations and knowledge
Perceptions begin with the most ______ and move towards more ______.
general
specific
Information from external environment being received by our sensory receptors is the process of ____________.
sensation.
(Bottom up processing)
An example of how perception is imperfect:
Blind Spots
Our reality is at best an __________ of the external physical world.
approximation
Mental Imagery
An unconscious process that is part of sensing – it helps us “predict” what is there in “wholes” so we can act upon it or see it as acting upon.
(Top Down Processing)
“whole” or “gestalt” processes
allow us to make meaning in our environment, even though we cannot sense all of it.
Top Down Processing
Self-Centered Mechanism
Thinking in terms of “how heavy Is that cup I’m about to pick up?” is an example of _________.
Top Down Processing
Self-Centered Mechanism
Thinking in terms of “how heavy Is that cup I’m about to pick up?” is an example of _________.
Top Down Processing
Chunking/Grouping
A process where individual pieces of information are grouped into a meaningful whole to improve short-term memory retention of the material:
Ex. 8675309 can be broken into 867-5309
(Top Down Processing)
Cognitive Penetration
When the mind unconsciously “fills in” perceptions based upon prior learning (memory)
There are bottom up perceptions that are NOT sensitive to top down processing, and
the degree to which they are sensitive is called “cognitive penetration.” (Eg., I see a dog,
my spouse says, ‘that’s not a dog, that’s a wolf; I continue to appraise it, but see no
fangs or size of a wolf, and say, ‘no, it’s just a dog.’)
top down processing
The relationship between Top-Down and Bottom-Up Processing can be decribed as _______.
Feedback loops
Which allow for strengthening of neural pathway
What one hears can affect the ______ of tasks like singing.
physiology
Impactful aspects of sound in songs might emulate __________.
emotional processes
Survival Value
Information we detect that conflicts with expectations can have __________.
Information detected that conflicts with expectations can have survival value: Screams
or growl sounds in silence; moisture on a clear day; bad taste can represent poison;
odors can represent animals, perception of space and distance can warn of falling; color
is associated with fire
Some benefits of grouping include
Decreased attention; if we know the toothbrush bristles are there, we know
where the handle is
Increased perception of other details, e.g. depth, light
The eye’s visual photoreceptors include
Cones and Rods
The process of Visual Perception involves:
- Information from the external world is detected by neurons in the eyes (cones and rods)
- This information is then transmitted via the optic nerves (through the optic chiasma) to
various regions of the brain - Information first transmits to the Primary Visual Cortex, then the Secondary Visual
Cortex, and then the Association Cortex
-From there, information via neural networks transmits to other regions of the brain for
“interpretation”
–> these networks include areas associated with language, memory, emotion
